Rizal, Katipunan treasures go on auction
Jose Rizal’s sculpture “Josephine (Bracken) Sleeping” and the only surviving twin of Bonifacio’s seal are set to ignite Leon Gallery’s Kingly Treasures auction in time for Bonifacio Day this Nov. 30.
In addition, a plaster cast depicting the Father of the Philippine Revolution—taken from the original Monumento sculpture by its creator, none other than National Artist Guillermo Tolentino and in the collection of eminent historian Ambeth Ocampo—will also go on the block in this remarkable historical sale.
Tolentino was a spirit medium who claimed to speak to Bonifacio in his dreams and the bust of the KKK founder may bear him out with its fiercely lifelike expression and knitted brow. The work was signed and titled (while the plaster was still wet) by Tolentino in ancient Philippine script. Among the talents of the Philippines’ first National Artist for sculpture was his ability to write expertly in baybayin.
The show-stopper, of course, is Rizal’s sculpture of his “Ultima Amor” and the love of his life, Josephine Leopoldine Bracken. Rizal married her twice (the second time just two hours before he was shot in the Luneta) and she never left his side till then. A little-known fact about our National Hero was that he was a skillful sculptor who even exhibited in the Paris Salon of 1889, at the same time as the celebrated Exposition Universelle that gave the world the Eiffel Tower.
Made by the hero’s own hands during his exile in Dapitan, “Josephine Sleeping” is one of Rizal’s most famous and best documented works, and comes from the family of his sister Narcisa. Her descendants have decided just this year to finally part with the iconic work. It has a starting bid price of P7 million but Leon Gallery director Jaime Ponce de Leon noted that it was difficult to put a value on such a priceless work.
A treasure belonging to the confidante and close friend of Jose Rizal, scholar Trinidad H. Pardo de Tavera, is also an important discovery. A gift from Katipunan leader Julio Nakpil, the seal of the “Mataas na Sangunian ng Katipunan ng Mga Anak ng Bayan” is the surviving twin of the the seal that Bonifacio would use in his last days before his trial and death in 1897. Both seals have the identical historic “Ka” in the center of sun with multiple rays. “Ka” would stand not just for Katipunan but also “Kalayaan” (freedom.) It is an important symbol of Bonifacio’s enduring legacy in the struggle for Philippine independence, mute testimony that despite his death, the fight for freedom went on. Bidding will open at P1.6 million.
Botong Francisco’s “Tinikling No. 2” (whose companion piece is in the Malacañan Palace collection) and from the collection of the first female Cabinet secretary, Estafania Aldaba-Lim, as well as masterpieces by Juan Luna and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo are other highlights of the forthcoming auction.